Gaza death toll from Israeli strikes tops 100

The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza continues to climb after four days of air raids from both sides.

At least 100 people have been killed in Gaza since Tuesday—the majority of them civilians.

A family of eight died in a strike on the city of Khan Yunis, 30 kilometres south of Gaza City, when Israeli military planes fired on their home.

Five of the victims were reported to be children.

At least 18 children have died in the more than 800 strikes on the Gaza Strip since Israel began what it calls Operation Protective Edge early Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza released the names and ages of the people confirmed dead since Israel began striking targets: the youngest an 18-month-old child, the oldest an 80-year-old woman.

WATCH: Global National team coverage of the crisis in Israel and Gaza

World Cup watchers killed in air strike

Ma’an News also reported another nine people were killed when an Israeli strike destroyed a beach cafe where people had gathered to watch the World Cup semifinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands, after people had ended their Ramadan fast for the night.

“It was a normal social occasion,” Agence France-Press quoted Wael Soboh, a local policeman employed by the Palestinian Authority, saying. “The boys ate their Ramadan iftar meal here, and then began watching the match. It is not a military area.”

Another 15 people suffered injuries in that attack.

UPDATES: What’s happening in Israel and the Palestinian territories

No resolution as rockets continue to fly

Neither Israel nor Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has claimed responsibility for most of the rocket attacks launched against Israel, show signs of relenting.

Israel says that Hamas must cease rocket fire from Gaza for Israel to consider a truce. Militants have fired hundreds of rockets, striking across the length of Israel and disrupting life across the country.

“Once again civilians are paying the price for the continuation of conflict,” Ban said. “My paramount concern is the safety and well-being of all civilians, no matter where they are. It pains me – and it should pain us all – to be reliving circumstances that are all too reminiscent of the two most recent wars in Gaza.”

Israel escalates aerial offensive on Gaza

Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the operation was going according to plan, with Israel targeting various Hamas interests.

“The military’s successes so far have been very significant,” he said. “We will continue until they understand that this escalation is not beneficial to them and that we will not tolerate rocket fire toward our towns and citizens.”

Longer range rockets disrupt life across Israel

The longer range of the rockets fired from Gaza has disrupted life across southern and central Israel, where people have been forced to remain close to home, and kindergartens and summer camps have closed. Israeli television has been a constant news loop with updates from both sides of the border and even radio music stations were interrupting songs with news of every siren informing of incoming rockets.

“We heard the siren and we immediately entered the home shelter,” said Avraham Nachum, from the southern Israeli town of Netivot. “One of the boys was in the shower. He didn’t manage to step outside of the shower on time.”

Besides firing toward Israel’s two largest cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Hamas also launched a rocket that reached the town of Zichron Yaakov, more than 100 kilometres north of Gaza.

WATCH: Footage released by Hamas on Thursday purports to show “locally made” rockets being fired towards Tel Aviv and Haifa in northern Israel

Hamas endangering civilians: Israel

Yigal Palmor, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Hamas is firing rockets from “within houses and streets and neighbourhoods which are populated with civilians … exposing these civilians to retaliation and to backfire.”

Israel accuses militants of deliberately endangering civilians by using homes and other civilian buildings for cover. The military has also directly targeted the offices and homes of known militants that it says are used as command centres. The military typically contacts the families first to ask civilians to evacuate before striking its targets.